Cuba Gooding Jr. was facing a federal lawsuit that accused him of rape. By settling the civil sex abuse case, the actor averts a trial.
ADVERTISEMENTJust as a trial was to begin, it was revealed that Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago, according to court records.
The Jerry Maguire actor had insisted through lawyers that his encounter with the woman was consensual after the two met at a nearby restaurant.
Minutes after jurors were to begin assembling in a courtroom, a calendar entry in the official court record said: “TRIAL OFF.” It added: “Reason for cancellation (on consent): the parties have resolved the matter.”
The woman had proceeded anonymously until last week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she would have to reveal her name at trial. She said in her lawsuit that Gooding raped her in his room. His lawyers, though, insisted that it was consensual sex and that she bragged afterward to others that she had sex with a celebrity.
The lawsuit sought $6 million in damages. Attorney Gloria Allred, one of several representing the woman, declined comment.
Last year, Gooding pleaded guilty to one count of forcible touching in a criminal case that accused him of inappropriately touching three different women at Manhattan nightclubs in 2018 and 2019. As part of his plea deal, Gooding avoided jail time and the conviction was reduced to a violation.
